NEW LONDON, N.H. – April 11, 2018 – Colby-Sawyer senior Nicole Lavigne (Berlin, Vt.) scored seven times to lead the women's lacrosse team to a 19-9 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) victory over New England College Wednesday evening.

Colby-Sawyer improves to 7-4 overall and 3-2 in the NAC. The Chargers will host Elmira on Sunday at 11 a.m. New England College drops to 8-4 overall and 5-1 in the conference. The Pilgrims host Elmira on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Lavigne led all players with seven goals and she added seven draw controls and four ground balls. Junior Sierra Schuster (Hopkinton, N.H.) surpassed 100 career points with three goals and two assists, while freshman Sarah Morin (Pelham, N.H.) also scored three times. Senior Molly Mulcahy (Nashua, N.H.) and freshman Jess Tattersall (Keene, N.H.) chipped in with two goals apiece. Junior Brittany Ireland (Amherst, N.H.) and freshman Briana Couture (South Hadley, Mass.) rounded out the scoring with a goal each. Freshman Mattie Iaria (Hingham, Mass.) had a team best four caused turnovers.

NEC was led by junior Alana Scott (Huntington, Vt.). She scored six goals. The nation's leading scorer, junior Tara Bainbridge (South Hadley, Mass.) was held to one goal on nine shots. Bainbridge did collect a game-high eight draw controls. Sophomore Ashley McNamara (Danbury, Conn.) and senior Caitlin Shanahan (Rocky Point, N.Y.) contributed a goal apiece. Junior defender Kaitlyn Berry (Canterbury, N.H.) had a team best four caused turnovers.

After the first eight minutes of the contest went scoreless, the Pilgrims broke through with a pair of goals in a minute stretch to take a 2-0 lead. Colby-Sawyer responded with seven-straight tallies, including four from Lavigne, to take a 7-2 lead with 12:52 left in the half. Each team added a goal later in the frame and Colby-Sawyer took an 8-3 advantage into the break.

Colby-Sawyer scored three times to open the second half to increase its lead to 11-3 with 23 minutes to play, but NEC would mount a comeback. Scott scored four of NEC's next five goals in a seven-minute stretch to pull within 11-8 mid-way through the half. The Chargers regrouped and finished the game by outscoring NEC 8-1 on their way to an impressive 19-9 victory.

Sophomore Kailyn Lapham (Medway, Mass.) finished with eight saves to earn her eighth career victory to tie for ninth all-time with Adrienne Bender '14 who was in today's attendance. NEC goalie McKenzie Gallasso (South Windsor, Conn.) had 14 stops in the loss. 

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